102-97, the Timberwolves, who had just completed the trade, ended the Rockets' winning streak at home.

Timberwolves fans are excited as if the team has won the championship. Allen Iverson made his first appearance for the Timberwolves, contributing 40 points, seven assists and four steals. Kevin Garnett had 22 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, and the excellent play of the two was the key to the Timberwolves' victory.

Maddy scored 31 points, Yao Ming 18 points, Hayes 16 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists, and the rest of the team performed averagely.

After the game, Garnett and Hayes shook hands and didn't forget to say, "You think about it seriously, come to the Timberwolves next season." We are stronger than rockets. ”

Garnett felt the victory was enough to prove the strength of the Timberwolves, and he and Iverson were already strong.

Hayes doesn't think so. It's easy for the Timberwolves duo to play well in one or two games, and in the playoffs, they have to play every 40 minutes in each game, and it's no wonder that they don't die of exhaustion. That's why the Jazz want to go further and find replacements for Deron Williams and Boozer.

The Rockets' winning streak ended, in fact, the main reason came from the trade with the Jazz. Juwan Howard and Alston are gone, and newcomers Millsap and Fisher are still unavailable from their suspensions. In this game, the only point guards that the Rockets can use are Spanoulis and John Lucas III, who have obvious shortcomings and were ruthlessly beaten by Iverson.

In the next game, Fisher and Millsap will be available, but their performances will be mediocre. It doesn't seem to help the team much.

After the Rockets won four in a row, they lost to the Mavericks and Suns in consecutive games on the 17th and 18th.

For the first time this season, the Rockets are on a losing streak. Angry fans pointed the finger at Dawson's stupid trade and Jeff Van Gundy's lineup.

Why swap Alston and send a Fisher with no assists? Swap experienced veteran Juwan Howard for a featureless second-round rookie. Why is that?

The Houston tabloids broke rumors that the Rockets' locker room was not getting along. Alston was purged because he didn't pass the ball to Hayes, which disgusted the coach. In addition, Howard was unwilling to be a substitute, and after returning from injury, he squeezed Hayes into the small forward position, and put on a veteran posture to make things difficult for Hayes in every way, and in the end the team had no choice, and the Rockets had to trade them away at a loss.

Some experts also pointed out that the Rockets deal looks to be accompanied. But in the long run, it's definitely beneficial. They get a draft pick, get rid of Howard's big contract, and Fisher can also add playoff experience and defense to the team. Send Alston away, and the Rockets' defensive system will be perfected.

After losing streaks, the Rockets have a 35-5 record. With five losses, it was much more difficult for the Rockets to break the Bulls' record of 72 wins, but the Rockets' defensive invincibility was quickly proven in the following games.

After losing to the Suns, the Rockets went on a frantic 12-game winning streak. Among them, big wins over the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Hornets, another win over the Spurs, and two wins over the Mavericks.

Except for the Mavericks, who played a difficult game against the Rockets on their home court and only lost by 4 points, the Rockets won all other games without suspense. In 12 games, the Rockets limited opponents to an average of 85.5 points, well below the pre-trade 89.3, and lowered their opponents' shooting percentage to 43 percent. The Rockets' defense in this winning streak is far stronger than the Pistons and Spurs at their peak.

The Rockets' average score has dropped, but they can use defense to solve the battle. In their third game of the season against Spurs, they only allowed Spurs to score a measly 69 points at home.

The outside world re-evaluated the Rockets' previous two trades, and both thought that the Rockets made money.

Let's take a look at the players the Rockets traded away.

The Knicks weren't bad, Bunch Wells was put in the starting lineup, played about 35 minutes per game, and contributed 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds, which was good value for money.

The Jazz did a big deal. During this time, the record was 5 wins and 6 losses.

Alstom's bench for Deron Williams was decent, but Juwan Howard was nowhere near what Sloan was asking for. Sloan originally thought Boozer's defense was the worst, but Howard came to compare, and Boozer's defense before his injury could be described as iron-blooded.

Howard is old, slow-paced, not strong, and has no interior defense. While with the Rockets, he averaged 10 points per game and shot 52.5 percent from the field, which was the main reason the Jazz decided to trade him. But without Yao Ming and Hayes to contain the defense, Howard's shooting percentage immediately dropped to 43%, and he could only shoot from the middle, making it difficult to get into the basket. He couldn't be a qualified substitute for Boozer on both ends of the floor. In this way, it is better to keep the young and energetic Millsap to cultivate. What annoys Sloan even more is that Howard still has two years left on his contract and can't get rid of it at all, and if he wants to trade Howard out of the team after the season, he has to give him playing time and brush up on his stats.

Let's look at the situation of the Rockets players.

In the main lineup, the firepower of the Big Three is still strong. Maddy scored 30+ points in seven consecutive games, and his average stats rose to 24.1 points, 5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals in one go. became the Rockets' leading scorer and assist, and won the Western Conference Player of the Month in January. In the first two months, the best players in the West were Yao Ming and Hayes, and the best players in the first three months were won by the Rockets, which is also a terrifying record.

Maddie was in a big flash, and Yao Ming's statistics dropped to 20.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 blocks.

Hayes had 16.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 steals. He has averaged just 13.8 points in his last 12 games, so he has received some criticism that he is not aggressive enough offensively. But the Rockets coaching staff is supportive of Hayes' transition, and a clear division of labor makes the Rockets more competitive. With three strong offensive points, there is always one person who has to sacrifice the number of shots, and Hayes has lowered the scoring for the team, but the rebounding grabbing is more ferocious, and it is already close to 12.

Other role players can also help the Rockets. Rarely played Jamario Moon and Van Weaver can also play a role. Their rivalry is still fierce, as Cork Schneider will still squeeze one man out after his comeback.

Defensively, Yao Ming is still the biggest barrier for the Rockets' interior defense, and his height ensures his deterrent power under the basket. The Rockets averaged 1.8 blocks per game.

Hayes' defense has been recognized by pundits and is often played against the opposition's interior superstar, who can limit the opposition's offensive efficiency even when he is half a head shorter. And after injuring Bowen, Hayes's defense went to a higher level, because Bowen ended up too badly, and the timid people were a little worried when they touched Hayes, and Hayes had an invisible deterrent. Some pundits are bullish on Hayes to be named to the All-Defensive Team.

Battier's stats aren't pretty, but the arrowheads who have to be on the fence every game are an important part of the Rockets' defensive system. Maddie was very convinced by Battier's "eye-piercing defense" during training.

Maddie's defense is underrated. As long as he has a serious defensive attitude, with the advantage of height and arm length in the guard position, it is very uncomfortable for those who can be entangled, and he is very hard to see other people defending, and Maddie is also infected and is a lot more positive.

Substitute Azubuike has received a true pass from Battier and has become a reliable defensive player.

The three players the Rockets traded to the team were the most exciting.

The top performer was David Lee. He averaged 6.4 points and 8.2 rebounds in about 25 minutes of playing time per game, and the media unanimously exclaimed that the Rockets had reduced their treasure. David Lee's rebounding skills are better than Yao's, who played an average of 32 minutes and only had nine rebounds. Give David Lee only 30 minutes and he will definitely have double-doubles in rebounds.

David Lee was more efficient than he was in New York, as he was more irritated because he couldn't rebound Hayes in practice.

Another interior bench, Millsap, played an average of 13 minutes and didn't play much offensively, but he worked very hard and was a good rebounder.

They are all qualified interior benches, even if Yao Ming and Hayes go off the court together, the two can support the Rockets' interior line, and their defensive characteristics are similar to Hayes's, and they can use their bodies to resist the opponent outside the three-second zone. Although Millsap is only 203cm, Houston fans have seen Hayes play center at 198cm, and it is not surprising at all.

Fisher played 25 minutes, scored 8.4 points and 2.8 assists, and shot 41% from the field. He doesn't move as fast as he used to, but he's very conscious, an excellent supporter, and his strong body allows him to switch positions without fear of heavy bumps from tall players.

Although the team lost three games in January, Van Gundy was as excited as he was when he won 25 in a row. The current rocket is the one he wants to see the most in the rocket team. Their defense has been almost perfect! With such a defense, they don't need to fear any opponent at all!

The media also conducted an interview with team manager Dawson, praising him for his foresight, making a series of brilliant trades before retirement, which maximized the team's strength, and his trade made the Rockets the biggest favorite to win the championship.

After this interview, Dawson was very happy, his waist was not sore, his legs did not hurt, and it was not difficult to go up to the fifth floor in one breath. If it weren't for the fact that the Rockets had already announced a successor, he would have wanted to do it for another two years.

The Rockets' current 15-player roster for the regular season is as follows:

Centre-forwards: Yao Ming, Mutombo.

Power forwards: Chuck Hayes, David Lee, Paul Millsap, Novak.

Small forwards: Sean Battier, Giammario Moon.

Shooting guards: Azubuuk, Luthor Head, Maddy, Van Weaver.

Point guards: Derrick Fisher, Spanoulis, John Lucas III.

With a 12-game winning streak, the Rockets have entered a short break, and the annual NBA All-Star Weekend has arrived!

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